THE BLIND CHATELAINE'S KEYS

Formerly "The Blind Chatelaine's Poker Poetics". Performed from Galatea's mountain -- where nature, art, poetry and wine converge with much love -- she now goes through her keychain as if it were a rosary, unlocking doors for you. Because if Rimbaud said "I is Another," the Chatelaine shares, "Moi am all about Toi."

Sunday, July 31, 2011

POETS ON ADOPTION--JULY UPDATE

POETS ON ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear All,
I've managed to update POETS ON ADOPTION four times to present the thoughts and poetry of

Carrie Etter June 2011 (was adopted at two weeks old; at age 17, gave up son for adoption)

Martha King June 2011 (grandmother to two children adopted domestically in the U.S.)

Elaine Randell July 2011 (as a psychotherapist and social worker, has worked with families and/or placed children in adoption)

kim thompson June 2011 (was adopted as a baby from Korea by U.S.-American parents)

You are invited to visit the site which, to date, presents nearly 50 poets representing a variety of adoption experiences. I'm also pleased to share that the site is being used in a poetry workshop this summer.

Friday, July 29, 2011

THE TOMATOES HAVE ARRIVED!

but a tomato need not be thrown at the wonderful LOVE IN A TIME OF PARANOIA by Howie Good, forthcoming from Diamond Point Press. Tis so lovely it's the latest recipient of blather, I mean, blurbie from Moi. To wit:

As with positing--that is, poem-ing--that "a crumpled napkin / was all Degas needed / to do a sky," Howie Good only needed to be attentive to his world to create the many, varied universes possible through poems. That is, from the smallest of details he creates the deepest implications, and does so with a pleasing finesse.--Eileen R. Tabios

Now, as regards tomatoey moves, City Slicker here harvested that big oompa below on the left (next to a medicine bottle for scale) because she thought it was a yellow squash way past its delivery date. Instead, it's a premature pumpkin that she picked, uh, prematurely. So goes the day of the City Slicker Farmer:

So here's one more update to my Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. Note that if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects. And I'm looking looking looking for reviewers to get books offa moi floors and to hit 100 new reviews for the next issue! Yeah! More info on that HERE.

THE WAY TO VIBRANT HEALTH: A MANUAL OF BIOENERGETIC EXERCISES by Alexander Lowen and Leslie Lowen

THE CAT IN THE HAT, classic by Dr. Seuss (yep: finally read this! It may be a classic but wasn't a typical read from my Philippines-based childhood. Hm: parenting seems to redress many childhood, uh, lapses...!)

Friday, July 15, 2011

STIMULATING POETRY

Aaaaaawwwwww. Ain't Moi sweet. To wit, in these days of economic flatness, Moi with my and Meritage Press' poetry sales continue to do our part to stimulate the economy of the Great State of California. Yes, Dear California, a check for sales taxes due is on its way to you for $136.00! Woot!

Granted, it's a slight reduction from my stimulus last year of $141.00, but nonetheless still a great improvement from my first year's sales taxes to you of $2.00.

Stick with me and my poetry sales, ye public. Moi poetry is more than paying its share of firemen, policemen and asphalt pavings. You're very welcome, indeed.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

THAT SILK EGG JEST KEEPS ON LAYIN'...!

So gratified not to be trashed by Litterbug which offers a review of moi SILK EGG and TRUE CRIME by Julie Lumsden. Thanks to Alan Baker who writes --

I was won over on encountering these lines:

He moved into her gift, woke each morning to soft warmlucidity, and agreed as regards the irrelevance of ribbons.

The understated sensuouness of that last line is superb. Each novel is an unfinished narrative, a set of fragments, for which the reader can supply completion, or, alternatively, they could just enjoy the phrasing, imagery and the sense of mystery each piece invokes. At one level, this book is a satire on contemporary novels, with each of the ten novels being a precis of a certain type. Thus, "Opium-Centred Lace", is - parody is too strong, and not the right word - is the ghost or shadow of a novel that might be a travelogue with some sort of love interest. But the language has a light touch and is too lyrical to be a straightforward satire

Monday, July 11, 2011

NO TEARS

Yes, indeedy. Got my first (and last) harvest of red onions in, which is to say, this post's Recently Relished W(h)ine List will mark the opening of my summer 2011 harvest list. Let's see if this City Slicker does better this year! Here's a shot that makes me weep from happiness -- the red onions drying under the hot Napa sun:

And what they looked like later inside la casa:

Here's the update to my Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. Note that if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects. And I'm looking looking looking for reviewers to get books offa moi floors and to hit 100 new reviews for the next issue! Yeah! More info on that HERE.